Dungler



Feb. 28, 1956 J. DUNGLER DRYING APPARATUS FOR LENGTHY WEB MATERIAL FiledMarch 6, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

OOOO/OOOOO 00000007 4 Feb. 28, 1956 J. DUNGLER DRYING APPARATUS FORLENGTHY WEB MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1952 INVENTOR. /z//l 00/1 62 5/? United States Patent DRYING APPARATUS FOR LENGTHY WEBMATERIAL This invention relates to drying and like treatment machinesfor lengthy web material, cloth, paper and similar cellulose material ofvarious forms, such as strips, bands, etc.

It is one of the objects of the invention to provide means affordingeificient distribution and coordination of respective zones of supportfor the material to be treated during its travel or passage through themachine and of nozzle outlet or outlets for the supply of the treatmentfluid to be impinged upon said material.

It is another object of the invention to provide means effectivelypreventing lateral slippage, deviation or displacement of the materialfrom its predetermined path of travel while the material is subjected bymeans of said nozzle outlets to the action of jets of treatment fluid,which is subsequently evacuated or guided to the exhaust in a directiontransverse to the path of travel of the material.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide means facilitating thearrangement or" the nozzle outlet or outlets substantially symmetricallywith respect to the support for the material, which may be maintained atfull width and in substantially taut condition.

Still another object of the invention is to provide means rendering thepossibility of locating the zones of support for the material by meansof supporting rollers and the zones and direction of the nozzle outletsfor the emission of the jets of treatment fluid in proximity orunilaterally of the axes of symmetry of said supporting rollers.

Yet a further object of the invention resides in the provision of meansconducive to efliciently administering through suitably disposed outletsof nozzles fluid jets against the material during its forward and returnpassage through the machine while the supporting rollers are placedintermediate oppositely arranged nozzles which define said passage.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide meanspermitting adjustment of the fluid jets against the material to betreated in substantially tangential directions with respect to thesurfaces of the supporting rollers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means enablinggradually changing conditions and effects of the jets of treatment fluidon the material, while same is held and guided along said supportingrollers.

A still further object of the invention is to. provide means avoidingshifting of the material under treatment from a predetermined path oftravel over supporting rollers placed opposite the discharge outlets ofthe nozzles, but nevertheless assuring thorough treatment andpenetration of the material by the fluid jets whose actions are notinterfered with by the otherwise obstructive supporting rollers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means forretaining the material through fluid jets on the supporting rollers, andsimultaneously permitting gradually unobstructive penetration of thematerial by further fluid jets.

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With the above and other objects in view, the invention willbe'hereinafter more fully described and the combination and arrangementof parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out inthe claims which form part of the specification.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a treatment apparatus constructedaccording to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, with parts brokenaway and shown in section, of one nozzle and roller constructionaccording to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, with'parts brokenaway and shown in section, of a modified nozzle and roller constructionaccording to the present invention; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, with parts brokenaway and shown in section, of still a further modified nozzle and rollerconstruction.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. l a dryingapparatus or similar treatment machine which includes a blower box 1provided with an inlet 2 for treatment fluid, such as air, steam,superheated steam, vapor and the like. The treatment fluid is deliveredwith a predetermined velocity to a group of spaced apart nozzles 3 andis discharged in the form of jets onto the web of lengthy fabric orother cellulose material 5. The spent treatment fluid is thereafterevacuated through the exhaust channels 4 arranged intermediate adjacentnozzles 3. Adjacent the nozzles 3 and the exhaust channels 4 are rollers6 which support the material 5. Each of the rollers 6 is mounted forrotational movement about a substantially horizontal axis, the rollers 6being spaced from the nozzles 3 to define a predetermined path for themoving material 5. The nozzles 3 and exhaust channels 4 are arrangedtoextend in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of thematerial 5 under treatment so that spaced areas of the material aresimultaneously impinged upon by the jets of treatment fluid while spentfluid is evacuated through the exhaust channels 4.

According to the present invention, the material 5 being treated isefl'ectively prevented from lateral slippage, deviation, or displacementfrom the predetermined path of travel by a nozzle and roller arrangementwherein the treatment fluid urges the material 5 against the rollers 6.and ensures positive guidance of the lengthy material in a directiontransverse to rotational axes of the rollers 6and from-one roller to anadjacent roller.

Referring specifically to Fig. 2, the nozzles 3a are arrangedsubstantially opposite the roller 6 and are spaced apart from each otherby the exhaust channels 4. Each of the nozzles 3a is provided with apair of spaced fluid outlets or. discharge openings 7, 8 for the egresstherethrough of the treatment fluid. The fluid outlets 7, 8 are definedby the convergent outer walls 13 of the nozzles 3a and the divergentplates 9, 10 arranged therebetween. As clearly illustrated, the plates9, 10 extend downwardly and outwardly of the axis of symmetry of the.nozzle 3a and terminate in coplanar relation with the. lower edge of theouter walls 13 of the nozzles 3a. The rotational axis i each of therollers 6 is arranged in a substantially vertical plane defined by theaxis of symmetry of the adjacent nozzle 3a and the fluid outlets 7, 8are arranged to direct the jets 11, 12 issuing therefrom in planeslaterally and offset with respect to the plane of the aforesaid axis ofsymmetry and of the rotational axis 14.

The. jets 11, 12 which issue from the outlets 7, 8, on opposite side ofthe axis 14 of the adjacent roller 6, penetrate and treat the material 5and then are deflected substantially. in tangential direction outwardlyby the adjacent peripheral portions of the rollers 6, whereupon thetreatment fluid passes again through the material 5 for evacuationthrough adjacent exhaust channel means 4. Simultaneously the material 5is urged into engagement with the underlying peripheral portion of theroller 6 which is intermediate the fluid outlets 7, 8, whereby thematerial 5 is maintained against lateral displacement under the actionof the jets 11, 12.

By varying the spacing of the fluid outlets 7, 8 with respect to thematerial 5 and for varying the velocity of the treatment fluid, theforce provided to counteract slippage and displacement can be varied. Indetermining optimum and practical distance between the nozzles 3a andthe adjacent rollers 6, reference is made to applicants copendingapplication Ser. No. 756,875 dated June 27, 1947, now forfeited.

In Fig. 3, there is shown a nozzle and roller arrangement particularlyconstructed for treating material 5 which includes a first length 5aextending through the machine in one direction and a second length 5bextending through the machine in the opposite direction. The material ispassed along a rectilinear path which is tangential to the uppermost andlowermost peripheral portions of the rollers 6. The nozzles 3a arearranged opposite to and above the rollers 6, while the nozzles 31: arearranged opposite to and below the rollers 6. Each of the nozzles isprovided with spaced fluid outlets 7, 8 for the egress therethrough ofthe treatment fluid. In this arrangement the fluid outlets 7, 8 of theupper and lower nozzles 3a, 3b are each defined by a plate having acurvature corresponding to the curvature of the adjacent peripheralportion of the respective rollers 6.

In the device of Fig. 3, the material 5 is moved along the path definedby the upper and lower lengths 5a, 5b and subjected to the treatmentfluid being discharged from the fluid outlets 7, 8 of the upper andlower rollers. Each of the jets 11, 12 contributes to the effectivepenetration of the material 5 with the treatment fluid and further urgesthe material into engagement with the adjacent peripheral portions ofthe rollers 6.

Accordingly, the material 5 is maintained against lateral deviation fromthe path of travel over the supporting rollers 6 which are placedopposite the discharge outlets 7, 8 of the respective nozzles, and issubjected to a gradually increasing thorough treatment by the jets 11,12 Whose actions are not interfered with by the otherwise obstructiverollers 6.

Referring now to Fig. 4, there is shown another nozzle and rollerarrangement which retains the material 5 against lateral displacementand assures the gradual unobstructive penetration by the treatmentfluid. In this embodiment, the axis of symmetry of each of the nozzlesis laterally offset or asymmetric with respect to the rotational axis 4of the adjacent rollers 6. The offset location is selected so that bothdischarge openings or fluid outlets 7, 8 are arranged on one side of thevertical plane of axis 6, with the jet 11 issuing from the outlet 7being directed substantially tangentially of the roller 6 and with thejet 12 issuing from the outlet 8 being directed substantially normal tothe adjacent peripheral portion of the roller 6. The jets 12 beingdischarged from adjacent nozzles 30 effectively maintain the material 5against the adjacent peripheral portions of the rollers 6 and contributesomewhat to the treatment of the material while the jets 11, 12effectively penetrate the material 5 without deflection by orinterference from the rollers 6.

In the arrangements illustrated in Figs. 2 to 4, the roller opposite therespective nozzle has a diameter larger than the spacing between theoutlets 7, 8 of the respective nozzle, and the outlets are symmetricallydisposed with respect to the center plane of the respective nozzle.

The nozzle and roller arrangement of Fig. 4 can be employed in anapparatus of the type disclosed in Fig. 3 by providing a lower group ofnozzles laterally offset with respect to the axes 14 of the rollers 6 ina direction opposite to the offset location of the upper group ofnozzles 3c.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided in accordance with thepresent invention a machine for treating web material along apredetermined path comprising a plurality of nozzle means, and rotatableroller means substantially opposite said nozzle means and spacedtherefrom for the passage therebetween of said material, each nozzlemeans being provided with at least one fluid outlet for the discharge ofa jet of treatment fluid, each of said fluid outlets being arranged todirect said jet along a course offset a predetermined distance from therotational axis of the roller means substantially opposite said outlet.

While several embodiments of the invention have been shown and hereindescribed, it will be understood that the same is capable ofmodifications without departure from the general scope and spirit of theinvention as defined in the claims. 7

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is:

l. A machine for treating sheet, web and like lengthy materialcomprising a group of roller means mounted for rotation about spaced,parallel axes, a group of nozzle means arranged substantially oppositesaid roller means, respectively, and spaced therefrom to definetherewith a predetermined substantially rectilinear path for saidlengthy material, each nozzle means being provided with an end walldefining said path at said nozzle means, said end wall being providedwith at least one pair of fluid outlets arranged coplanar with said endwall for facilitating discharge of jets of treatment fluid, and exhaustchannels means arranged intermediate adjacent nozzle means forevacuating spent treatment fluid, each pair of said fluid outlets beingarranged to direct said jets in planes asymmetrically with respect tothe axis of the respective roller means opposite thereto and beingspaced from the latter a predetermined distance ensuring positive linearguidance of said lengthy material in a direction transverse to the axesof said roller means and from one to an adjacent roller means, eachfluid outlet of said pair of outlets being arranged on a respective sideof the rotational axis of said roller means, one of said fluid outletsbeing arranged to direct the jet tangentially to the surface of therespective roller means.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said pair of outlets isdisposed symmetrically with respect to the center plane of therespective nozzle means, but asymmetrically with respect to therotational axis of the respective roller means.

3. A device for treating web material comprising a group of roller meansmounted for rotation about spaced, parallel and horizontally disposedaxes, vertically disposed nozzle means respectively arrangedsubstantially opposite said roller means and spaced therefrom to definetherewith a predetermined substantially rectilinear path for saidmaterial, each nozzle means being provided with an end wall having atleast one pair of fluid outlets symmetrically disposed with respect tothe center plane of the nozzle means and adapted to direct jets oftreatment fluid toward portions of said material spaced from said rollermeans, and exhaust channel means arranged intermediate adjacent nozzlemeans for evacuating spent treatment fluid, each pair of fluid outletsbeing spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the respectiveroller means and being arranged to direct said jets in planes laterallyoffset with respect to the axis of the respective roller means and onone side thereof, at least one of said fluid outlets being arranged totangentially direct the jet with respect to the surface of therespective roller means.

4. In a drying and like treatment apparatus for cloth and like webmaterial; a plurality of nozzle means for directing treatment fluid tosaid material, exhaust channel means intermediate each two adjacentnozzle means for evacuating spent treatment fluid, and a plurality ofroller guide means opposite said nozzle means and spaced a predetermineddistance therefrom and disposed to guide said material in asubstantially rectilinear path past said nozzle means, said nozzle meansincluding an end wall, each end wall being provided with a pair of slotsconstituting discharge ends, said discharge ends being spaced from eachother with the major portion of said end wall therebetween, therespective vertical planes through the horizontal axes of said rollermeans being offset with respect to the vertical planes in Which therespective discharge ends extend, the diameter of each roller means andthe distance between the slots of each pair of slots of each nozzlemeans being coordinated to each other so that treatment fluid is onlydirected against and impinges upon portions of said material out ofcontact with said roller means.

5. In a drying and like treatment apparatus according to claim 4,wherein the end wall of each nozzle means is recessed toward theinterior of the respective nozzle means.

6. In a drying and like treatment apparatus according to claim 5,wherein said end wall is angularly shaped in cross section with the apexof said end wall substantially in a plane perpendicular to the plane ofsaid material and to the plane passing through the axis of therespective roller means.

7. In a drying and like treatment apparatus according to claim 4,wherein said end wall of each nozzle means is curved toward the interiorof the respective nozzle means.

8. In an apparatus for treating web material; a plurality of nozzlemeans for directing treatment fluid toward said material, exhaustchannel means intermediate each two adjacent nozzle means for evacuatingspent treatment fluid from said material, and a plurality of rollermeans opposite said nozzle means and disposed to guide said material ina predetermined substantially rectilinear path past said nozzle means,each nozzle means including an end wall provided with at least a pair ofslots constituting treatment fluid discharge ends, said discharge endsbeing spaced apart a sufficient distance and so correlated with respectto the diameter of the opposite guide roller means, that fluid willimpinge on said material at portions thereof out of contact with saidroller means so as to produce tensioning of said material over surfaceportions of said roller means thereby maintaining said material againstlateral displacement from said predetermined path.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said discharge ends aresymmetrically arranged with respect to the vertical plane passingthrough the horizontal axis of said roller means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein both said discharge endsextend unilaterally of the vertical plane passing through the horizontalaxis of said roller means, whereby part of said roller means is embracedby said material thereby retaining the same against transverse movementon said roller means and increasing the contact surface between saidmaterial and said roller means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,579,342 Andrews Apr. 6, 1926 1,759,804 Pieron May 20, 1930 2,225,505Oflen Dec. 17, 1940 2,439,722 Dreisel Apr. 13, 1948 2,492,974 DunglerIan. 3, 1950

